John is too polite to say “how hard is it to check a news feed, bucko?” but he sent along a few interesting news links:

The first is about another hiker perishing after a fall from at the cables at the Half Dome in Yosemite. The story notes that hiker traffic at the Dome is up by 30 percent since the mid-’90s, and some think the crowds along the cable route make it more dangerous. Weather was implicated two previous fatal falls in the last year, this time it was just an errant slip that ended badly. Eyewitness accounts at the blog of that guy who works for the other paper.

The second is about a hiker getting hit with a $5,000 bill for his rescue in Colorado. This seems like a bald example of why we pay taxes — as individuals we have no way to pay for the huge cost of things like roads, airports and armies, which discourages us from doing worthwhile things (traveling, engaging in commerce, repelling foreign invaders). The guy with the dislocated ankle might take on fatal risks to avoid the $5K. I don’t mind a “stupidity tax” of some sort that at least discourages further misbehavior but having one guy foot the whole bill is extreme.

The third is about a hiker lost at Mount Rainier. “It’s a steep area if you go off the trail,” Jacquot said. “As long as you stay on the trail it isn’t a problem.” Let’s hope the guy gets back safely.

(By the way, the rest of you are welcome to share your news tips. Just drop me a note at twoheeldrive@gmail.com.)